The Black Domino by Auber, st 27 led 2021, Od (2021/2021), Režie Valérie Lesort, Christian Hecq, Dirigent Laurent Campellone, Opéra de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

Midnight or the new Cinderella! This was the title that the opera was originally intended to have, summing up the plot wonderfully. However, it is dressed in a black domino that Angèle leaves incognito from the convent to savour one last time the pleasures of this world, before entering the order. When she arrives at the ball, she has no idea that a Cavalier, claiming to have already seen her, is going to woo her. The Domino Noir tries to remain faithful to her wishes, fleeing the ball and at the same time her feelings. But it is already past midnight and Angèle is caught up by her destiny. So, during a crazy night, she will have to hide, disguise herself, change her plans… …and finally, by a happy coincidence, change her vocation. The story sometimes turns into a vaudeville, without ever losing its depth; a skilful balance that Auber’s score, full of refinement and mischief, underlines marvellously. The Domino Noir has become Auber’s greatest success and one of the most emblematic comic operas of the French Romantic repertoire.